Banned in China, this controversial and politically charged novel tells the story of the search for an entire month erased from official Chinese history.

Beijing, sometime in the near future: a month has gone missing from official records. No one has any memory of it, and no one could care less - except for a small circle of friends, who will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of the sinister cheerfulness and amnesia that have possessed the Chinese nation. When they kidnap a high-ranking official and force him to reveal all, what they learn - not only about their leaders, but also about their own people - stuns them to the core. It is a message that will astound the world.

A kind of Brave New World reflecting the China of our times, The Fat Years is a complex novel of ideas that reveals all too chillingly the machinations of the postmodern totalitarian state, and sets in sharp relief the importance of remembering the past to protect the future.

From the Hardcover edition.

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Listener Opinions

by Thierry | 2/9/2014

" Great book, it really is an eye-opener. As a novel, it's not the best book ever, however, it's a great introduction to the contemporary systems in China. It also made me think about the consequences and the needs for new governmental and economical systems. This is a book that everyone should read, since the balance in the world is shifting to the Asian countries and the book is a great way to discover it. "

by Emily Ptak | 2/2/2014

" I am still in the midst of this mysterious book, and the strong elements of the Fantastic are making the Todorov in me smile. This near-future (but actually mirror image of the present) China sheds light on the dystopian way the country functions. "

by Monica | 2/1/2014

" A strange and different novel about China in the near future with insights on China and the Western world. Orwellian. "

by Steve Gillway | 1/28/2014

" Until this degenerates into a diatribre it is good and incisive on modern China. The translator argues that it is not really dystopian fiction and he may be right, but as soon as he invokes Orwell's 1984 you quickly realise this book's limitations. Because of the global nature of the world and China's growing importance books like these are vital in bridging the cultural gaps. "

" Very interesting look at modern day China. Apparently it is quite provocative to the Chinese, which says something. "

Helen Argiro | 1/1/2014

" I love the premise of this book. The only reason it's missing a star is because I think the translation could have been better. "

Timothy | 12/21/2013

" If it were being rated as a novel, well, it's barely warrants the category. As a dissertation on recent Chinese history and a description of the Chinese party-state worldview, it's superb. "

Netts | 12/11/2013

" Interesting subject, shitty writing. "

Patrick DiJusto | 11/30/2013

" Eh. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz "

Michael Leung | 10/26/2013

" Excellent book on China, the Communist Party and its future. The book starts off slow but the epilogue is well worth it alone. How many books can say that? "

Marieke | 6/20/2013

" Review to come...or something like a review. To reflect that this novel was something like a novel, yet not really. "

Diane | 4/26/2013

" Probably a touch of the truth considering China's political system...but fiction. "

Hadrian | 6/19/2012

" A political essay cloaked as a dystopia. Very reminiscent of the Goldstein book of 1984. Very eerie and prescient examination of the power and possible ends of the shadowy CCP. "

Chris | 2/13/2012

" Very interesting read on living in China. Took a while to slog through it and you sort of figure out where it is going 1/3 of the way through. Then you have to wait until the last 5 pages for them to get to it. But not a bad book in any way. That's about all you are getting from me. "

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